Auckland Bootstrapper's Breakfast / June 2025

🔥 From Firefighting to Fintech: Scaling Lessons from the Frontlines

Bootstrappers Breakfast @ GridAKL with Jovan Pavlicevic

Join us for the next Bootstrappers Breakfast at GridAKL and hear from one of New Zealand’s most inspiring fintech founders—Jovan Pavlicevic, co-founder of Emerge and SquareOne.

From volunteering as a firefighter to launching startups that are reshaping the financial landscape for Kiwi businesses, Jovan brings a unique perspective on risk, resilience, and scaling with purpose.

💡 What you'll learn:
Jovan will share insights and key lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, including:

● How he bootstrapped a fintech product in its early days
● The tipping points that signaled it was time to raise capital
● Lessons from navigating the fundraising process
● Strategies for scaling a team, product, and customer base post-investment
● Or anything else you’re curious to ask him that morning.

🗓 Date: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
🕢 Time: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
📍 Location: GridAKL / John Lysaght Building (opposite Woolworths Metro), Wynyard Quarter
🎟 Capacity: Limited to 60 attendees – includes coffee and light breakfast!

🎤 Who should attend?
Founders, solopreneurs, and early-stage startup teams looking for honest stories and actionable advice from someone who's built from scratch—and scaled with impact.

Come for the coffee, stay for the insights, and connect with like-minded founders in a relaxed, learning-focused atmosphere.

Guest Speaker

Jovan Pavlicevic | Co-founder of Emerge and SquareOne
Jovan is a New Zealand-based entrepreneur and fintech innovator, best known as the co-founder of Emerge, a digital-first platform revolutionizing business banking for Kiwi SMEs. Before Emerge, Jovan co-founded SquareOne, a financial literacy app for kids and parents, which became one of the earliest Mastercard digital-first programs in the Asia-Pacific region .

Jovan's entrepreneurial journey began in the UK, where he founded and led Forest Group, a financial advisory firm, achieving a successful exit. His diverse background also includes serving as a volunteer firefighter in Lyttelton, New Zealand.

Now based in Auckland, Jovan is dedicated to transforming New Zealand's financial landscape through technology and innovation